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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E333-E334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO HONOR THE LIFE OF RICHARD BERNARD MORRIS
______
HON. ANNA G. ESHOO
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, March 27, 2020
Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and work of an
extraordinary man, Richard Bernard Morris, who was born March 9, 1930
in Alameda, California, to Thelma T. and John E. Morris, and was the
fifth of seven children. He passed away surrounded by his beloved
family on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, at the age of 89.
Richard Morris attended Piedmont High School and attended the
University of Santa Clara for one year prior to entering the Society of
Jesus. In 1955, he left the seminary to join the United States Army and
was stationed in Germany for two years.
After his military service, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree
at UC Berkeley and attended law school at Boalt Hall (Berkeley Law). It
was at Berkeley where he met his best pal and true love, Anne
``Bummie'' Baumgartner, and they were married at Mission San Juan
Bautista on September 12, 1959.
Rich entered private practice in 1960, first at Chickering & Gregory,
and then at Feldman, Waldman & Kline, both in San Francisco. While in
private practice, he began doing pro bono legal work and found his
passion. In 1968, San Francisco was chosen as one of twenty cities to
receive Ford Foundation funds directed at increasing the number of
lawyers involved in pro bono work, and Rich was hired as the first
Executive Director of the new San Francisco Lawyers Committee for Urban
Affairs (now Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights).
Rich's family was his joy. He was keenly interested in each of his
children, grandchildren, their spouses and friends. He was a generous,
funny, original, and supportive father, father-in-law, and grandfather,
and the best partner to Anne.
Rich was a devout Catholic who believed that work on behalf of the
marginalized was fundamental to being a follower of Jesus. He was
naturally attracted to quiet prayer and the contemplation of God's
goodness in all things and people. As Jesuits would say, he was a
contemplative in action, truly a ``man for others.'' He believed
strongly in social justice and instilled these principles in his
children and grandchildren.
In 1975, Rich became Director of Communications for the American Bar
Association, and the family moved to Evanston, Illinois. In 1998, Rich
and Anne began a new adventure when they moved to Anne's family ranch
in San Juan Bautista, California, where he soon became active in the
movement for a more holistic, regenerative approach to land management.
In 2017, Rich and Anne moved back to San Francisco, where he was
delighted to have a window with a view of his beloved Bay.
Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me
in honoring this great and good man, and in extending our most sincere
condolences to his beloved wife Anne, his eight children; his seven
children-in-law; his eleven grandchildren and his siblings, Nancy
Morris, RSJC, Bill Morris, and Thelma Clare Morris. Richard Morris'
life was one of faith lived, duty, and purpose. He strengthened his
community and bettered our nation, and it is an honor to pay tribute to
him.
[[Page E334]]
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